ROAD TRIP TO HEAVEN
Heaven is not a place, but an experience of happiness, peace and joy. So is the hottest travel destination of India in the month of May-September , Ladakh. Although the term hottest travel destination sometimes for some people means amazing night life, pubs, bars, beaches etc. But for the one who wants to travel in the true sense, to attain peace and happiness from the day to day rough life, Road trip to Ladakh is the hottest Travel Experience.
With its serene natural virgin beauty, peaceful atmosphere, one can feel like they are in heaven. It is also a paradise to photographers because of its ultimate picturesque terrain in India and perhaps in the World. Highest motorable road in the world will surely give you an adrenaline rush.Sitting in the monastery, in the serenity of the monks will give you inner peace and a motivation to search for the true meaning of our life.
We decided to take a break from our hectic routine life and take a leap of faith, so we planned for Leh-Ladakh. We took the all time favorite route of Delhi- Chandigarh- Manali- Rohtang La - Jispa - Sarchu - Tanglang La - Upshi- Leh and after that visited Pangong Tso - Chang La and back via the same route to Delhi. I'm chronicling my road trip adventure for CEAT Tyres in association with BlogAdda.
Now everyone knows these routes and every village which comes in between due to so much publicity by travelers. This route is a test for the tyres with silky smooth road of Delhi- Chandigarh - Manali to almost no road of Rohtang La - Keylong - Jispa - Sarchu - Baralachala. Along with the Tyre it is also a test of one's grit and patience. With atmosphere varying to extremities and pressure going down with every next step taken towards the destination.
Tip: One must carry spare tyres,tubes and other motor bike accessory that will fail in such extreme conditions. CEAT Tyres are well suited for such terrains. Also carry spark plugs, clutch plate, clutch wires, bike oil etc. which may break down. In these wilderness it is hard to find the exact accessory and a mechanic to solve the issues. One must know troubleshooting tips of bike so that in case of a break down one can at least reach a populated area.
Delhi-Chandigarh-Manali
The road from Delhi to Chandigarh is a 6 lane highway which is a smooth ride. You can have a feel of Yash Chopra's movies with mustard (Sarso ke khet) farms, sugar-cane farms, road side lassi counters and especially the vaishnao dhabas which serve finger licking good punjabi food which is hard to find anywhere else. Keep yourself hydrated at all times during this route. This route can be covered in a day with no break down ideally.
Manali - Rohtang La - Baralachala - Sarchu
This route can be covered in a day but one must not try hard to complete in one day. During our first trip to Ladakh we tried to cover this in one day and we did reach Sarchu at night around 9 pm, which is worst time in these areas with no light source except the moon light and chilling below zero temperature, it is a risk which is not advisable.
Apart from that, this route is the main attraction for Leh -Ladakh road trip lovers. It will give you all sorts of fun, from handsome mountains to beautiful valleys and small rivers which are created due to melting of snow. This route has road from Manali to Rohtang after that from Rohtang to Keylong the ride is not so smooth. From Keylong to Jispa, you can again relax your clutch and brakes. But now the worst roads starts from Jispa to Sarchu. There is no road literally, moreover the melting of snow creates waterfalls which are hard to cross over. The temperature of these water can create frost bite if proper precaution is not taken. After these nalas you will enter the Baralachala zone where you will see nothing but white snow spread across the whole range. The road conditions are okay but the snow shredding can cause breathing problem. You can rest in the tents in Sarchu for the night in the lap of the highest mountain ranges. Sarchu is the border town of Himachal Pradesh - Jammu & kashmir
This route will reveal to you the naked beauty of mountains, The azure sky, brown mountains and the roads of More Plains (if there is any). This route is a paradise for photographers. There are sculptures made on the mountains by nature. The only sound you can hear is of the cold wind gushing by. This trip cannot be described in words. The pictures below will surely explain.
The journey ends here in Leh for now. The journey from Delhi-Leh completed safely without any major breakdown. In my next post I will reveal the journey back which has the real adventures, truck ride from Pangong to Leh and Sarchu to Manali. with the motor bike becoming an obstruction to the journey but in the end a memorable trip.
